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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: Blueberry Garden
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:This game lacks a way to quit and resume playing later. However, it's really quite short, so this feature isn't exactly needed. Time needed per session:You'll need to play through the entire game in one session, so give yourself at least thirty minutes if you're planning on trying to win.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians The only issue with this game is that there's a hidden link to an old website that displayed comments posted by players. If the link still works, there's a chance that something inappropriate may be posted there. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/blueberry_garden_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/blueberry_garden_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/blueberry_garden_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Blueberry Garden is a small indie game that you probably haven't heard about. It's pretty easy to overlook this game, but it's worth trying out if you like short games that focus on exploration and imagination.
For the most part, it's a quiet and fairly ordinary platformer. The arrow keys allow you to move your character around and pick up various things, while the ENTER key and SPACEBAR allow you to eat fruits you've picked up or jump into the air. Once airborne, you can fly around for a bit by hitting the SPACEBAR again. If you ever need to return Home, hold H for a moment and you'll be teleported back to the starting area (or the top of the tower if the water has risen too high).
These controls cover everything you need to navigate this doodled world as you try to find objects, such as blocks of cheese or a saltshaker, to build a climbable tower. The different types of fruit are important here, as each one has a unique effect that will help you in your task. In the meantime, the rising water level will make it increasingly difficult to find more fruit or the objects you need. You can't swim, so if your head goes below the water level you'll quickly begin to run out of air. Fortunately, instead of drowning, you'll just be teleported Home or to the top of the tower. You can also ensure the fruits stay available by taking a few moments to plant them safely above the water line.
The main drawback to this title is how short it is: it often takes less than thirty minutes to complete the tower and fix the leaky faucet. Despite this, it's a nice game for a rainy day.
For the most part, it's a quiet and fairly ordinary platformer. The arrow keys allow you to move your character around and pick up various things, while the ENTER key and SPACEBAR allow you to eat fruits you've picked up or jump into the air. Once airborne, you can fly around for a bit by hitting the SPACEBAR again. If you ever need to return Home, hold H for a moment and you'll be teleported back to the starting area (or the top of the tower if the water has risen too high).
These controls cover everything you need to navigate this doodled world as you try to find objects, such as blocks of cheese or a saltshaker, to build a climbable tower. The different types of fruit are important here, as each one has a unique effect that will help you in your task. In the meantime, the rising water level will make it increasingly difficult to find more fruit or the objects you need. You can't swim, so if your head goes below the water level you'll quickly begin to run out of air. Fortunately, instead of drowning, you'll just be teleported Home or to the top of the tower. You can also ensure the fruits stay available by taking a few moments to plant them safely above the water line.
The main drawback to this title is how short it is: it often takes less than thirty minutes to complete the tower and fix the leaky faucet. Despite this, it's a nice game for a rainy day.
Story Summary
In this surreal world filled with odd trees, birds, snails and blue moose that wear sunglasses, something has gone wrong. A giant faucet located far up in the sky has sprung a leak! Now there is a never ending stream of water pouring into the world, slowly flooding it.
It's up to you, a little bird person, to find enough objects to create a tower high enough to allow you to reach the faucet and turn it off. But, why stop at the faucet in the sky? Since the leak is plugged, the water will drain and you'll have all the time you want to explore the world looking for more objects to take you to a higher goal: the Moon!
It's up to you, a little bird person, to find enough objects to create a tower high enough to allow you to reach the faucet and turn it off. But, why stop at the faucet in the sky? Since the leak is plugged, the water will drain and you'll have all the time you want to explore the world looking for more objects to take you to a higher goal: the Moon!
Points of Interest
Childlike, sketchy graphics
Everything looks like it was drawn by a little kid on notebook paper. I'm not complaining here: after all of these games trying for realistic graphics, it's refreshing to see a new style like this.
Vibrant, living world
Blueberry Garden is populated by a number of birds, plants and other wildlife. While you're busy looking for more objects, these creatures will be doing their own thing. It's not that unusual to plant a tree somewhere, then later find a small forest has sprouted and attracted a group of critters.
Quiet little game
Very little in this game poses a danger to your bird character. Even the things that do hurt you don't do anything more than send you back to your tower. In the meantime, the somber piano music provides a calm, but slightly sad atmosphere.
Sandbox mode
The Playground mode is a sandbox mode where you can freely play with all of the seeds and creatures the game's world has to offer. It's sort of boring honestly, but younger children might enjoy playing with it.
There's no save feature
While this game is only about 45 minutes long, you're pretty much forced to play it through in one sitting. This was more acceptable in the 1980s, but today it's more of an annoyance. Every time you start the game, you'll need to find all of the objects and plant seeds where you want them, since none of your progress will ever be retained.
Limited directions
There are signs throughout the game that show you the controls, but that's about all of the instruction you're going to get. Beyond that, it's not clear what your initial goal is or how you're supposed to reach it. It may take a few tries before the player understands what they are doing.
Concerns and Issues
Hidden message
Beating the game earns you a link to a secret page on the internet. This page is there to congratulate you and let you leave a comment about your success. Some of the comments might be inappropriate, as that's the nature of the internet, but that's hardly the game's fault.